Survey of 455 LibreOffice Base users points to UI and stability as top concerns

The publication of the LibreOffice Base survey results gives the project a concrete picture of its user base: 455 respondents, with more than 330 on Linux, and use cases ranging from personal media catalogs to ERP and finance. This is a relatively small sample, but it is the kind of direct feedback that can shape roadmap decisions. The survey does not claim to be representative, but it offers a signal of what active users care about.

The dominant request is for user interface improvements, less clutter and a more attractive design, alongside a desire for either simplified or more powerful workflows depending on expertise. This suggests that Base's current interface is seen as a barrier for both casual and advanced users. An elaborate search function is specifically called out as a common expectation, indicating that basic data retrieval is not meeting user needs.

Nearly as many responses ask for bug fixes, stability, and performance improvements, with queries, forms, and reports mentioned equally often. This points to reliability as a core concern, not just feature additions. The suggestion to remove Java dependencies is notable because it would reduce runtime requirements and simplify deployment, but it would also require reimplementing parts of the application, which is a significant engineering effort.

The tension between simplifying the UI and making it more powerful is a classic design problem. For engineers who build on Base, the survey results imply that future releases may prioritize interface cleanup and stability over new features. However, the survey's small sample and self-selected nature mean the project should be cautious about over-indexing on these responses. The real cost of acting on this feedback is the development time needed to address the underlying issues, which could delay other improvements.